Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Kneel
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The bustling entertainment district within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's inner castle.
On any other night, it would have been packed with revelers, alive with noise and excitement, but tonight the air felt different.
The area around Scenic Blossom Tower, deep in the pleasure quarter under the Yagul Clan's territory, was more chaotic than ever.
Passersby glanced furtively or averted their eyes to avoid getting involved.
Thud. Thud.
Amid the tension, a group of people stepped into the street.
The ominous aura they exuded parted the crowd naturally.
Finally, as the man at their lead reached the tower's vicinity, a frantic woman who had been pacing anxiously lit up at the sight of him.
"Ah! More warriors from the Hyeok Clan to reinforce us...!"
She welcomed them like a lifeline from a clear blue sky.
She was the proprietor of Scenic Blossom Tower, who had rushed out of the establishment in desperation.
Gesturing wildly, she desperately explained what she had witnessed.
"Inside... they just barged in and took seats... people from the Cheon Clan..."
Her voice trembled with fear as she stammered incoherently.
Hyeok An, leader of the Hyeok Clan's Ebony Fury Demon Squad, glanced around instead of engaging her directly.
Near the entrance, wounded warriors lay sprawled on the ground.
Some were strangers, but many were Hyeok Clan warriors dispatched to the pleasure quarter.
After a quick look, Hyeok An turned his gaze back to the tower.
"Enough. Stay out of the way."
He doubted she'd have anything useful to add.
Besides, he already had the gist of the situation.
Brushing past the proprietress, Hyeok An planted himself in front of the tower.
He raised one hand and commanded,
"Storm in."
Thud thud thud!
At his order, the Ebony Fury Demon Squad swiftly entered and fanned out inside.
Moments later, screams erupted from within, mingled with the clanging of weapons.
Hyeok An took it all in before stepping forward slowly.
Crossing the threshold, he saw the chaos for himself.
"...What a mess."
Clang clang clang!
The interior was pandemonium.
Warriors locked in combat fought like demons, while others writhed in agony from mortal wounds.
Shattered tables littered the floor alongside crumpled bodies. Blood splatters stained the mats, pillars—everything.
It was impossible to tell if this was a tavern for drink and song or the heart of a battlefield.
"...Hoo."
Hyeok An rubbed his furrowed brow at the brutal scene.
To think it had escalated this far.
The trouble had started subtly a few months back.
The Yagul Clan, having united the inner castle's taverns under the pleasure quarter banner alongside the Hyeok Clan, had been thriving.
With top-notch cuisine and exquisite music as their draw, aggressive promotion had made them the district's centerpiece, with sales soaring daily.
But amid that upward climb, sudden change hit the pleasure quarter.
'It began with ragtag ronin at first.'
Thugs who took any job for coin began causing disturbances, souring the mood.
Initially dismissed and handled lightly, their numbers grew, making it impossible to ignore.
Hyeok Clan warriors dispatched to the quarter tried driving them out, but they were too numerous and scattered to eradicate cleanly.
Thus, skirmishes simmered across the streets, souring the atmosphere further as the troublemakers grew bolder and more overt.
The Cheon Clan, who had been puppeteering the ronin from the shadows to disrupt the area, finally stepped forward openly.
Lately, Cheon Clan warriors had been entering the pleasure quarter directly.
Slash—
Hyeok An mercilessly cut down the warriors charging at him and pressed on.
'At first, even they avoided direct aggression.'
They simply occupied tables and glared at patrons, who fled in droves.
Soon, the taverns emptied except for them.
Word spread, customers dried up, and normal business ground to a halt.
Unable to contain them with dispatched forces alone, the Hyeok Clan sought Sima Jin's aid, bringing in support from the Lone Valley Clan.
Thus, the pleasure quarter gained overt Hyeok Clan protection and covert Lone Valley Clan reinforcements.
"But things only heated up."
The Cheon Clan drew blades upon confirming the Lone Valley Clan's involvement.
Their elite unit, the Mountain-Breaking Flame Demon Squad, had entered the quarter.
And that was hardly the end.
Not just the pleasure quarter—anywhere the Hyeok or Yagul Clans had influence became Cheon Clan targets, multiplying fronts endlessly.
'Even our home elites had to escort the Manri Merchant Company's caravans.'
In the end, the Hyeok Clan scraped together forces to send the Ebony Fury Demon Squad here, bringing Hyeok An.
Drip.
Hyeok An halted at the tavern's rear.
A middle-aged man lounged indifferently in a chair, entering his view.
Square jaw, stern features.
Cold eyes harboring a dry spark.
The Mountain-Breaking Flame Demon Squad's leader, Ninefold Demon Sword Cheon Paejo.
"You're later than expected."
They'd never spoken, but faces were familiar.
Such was the way among the Seven Great Demon Clans' leaders.
"So it was you."
Cheon Paejo led the Cheon Clan's premier elite squad, long trusted by their patriarch.
Hyeok An had come expecting Cheon Clan show of force, but not that Cheon Paejo led it.
His face hardened as he continued slowly,
"Daring to cause a ruckus in the cult."
"It's not the Heavenly Demon Palace. What does it matter?"
Cheon Paejo sneered coldly.
Glancing at the mangled warriors around, he added,
"If this is the Hyeok Clan's caliber, I'm disappointed. They could barely stand on their own legs, like newborn fawns."
But Hyeok An didn't rise to the provocation.
"Invading another clan's domain among the Seven Great Demon Clans. Are you truly wagering your house's fate on bloodshed?"
"Clan rivalry? Seems like a misunderstanding."
Cheon Paejo shrugged and continued,
"I'm just sitting here, dissatisfied with the food."
Not even hiding it—an excuse no three-year-old would buy. Hyeok An let out a hollow laugh.
"You struck first."
"You attacked unprovoked. We merely defended ourselves."
Enough.
No point dragging it out.
Having come this far, Hyeok An hadn't expected words to resolve it.
Aiming his blade at Cheon Paejo, the man rose slowly with a pitying look.
"Even you mean to attack me."
Then.
"I'll have to defend myself fully."
Whoosh!
Something shot from his fingertips toward Hyeok An.
Only as it neared did Hyeok An identify it.
'What...?'
A jagged chair leg hurtled at him swiftly.
No immense power, no aggressive arc—Hyeok An sliced it aside easily.
But before he could ponder, a blade tip lunged at his chest.
Cheon Paejo charged, aiming to kill.
Boom—!
Instinctively, Hyeok An parried with his blade face.
The blow's force overwhelmed him, hurling him through the wall outside.
Step. Step.
Cheon Paejo followed.
The fight spilled into the pleasure quarter street. Onlookers backed away but watched.
Hyeok An hated the exposure, but survival trumped it now.
Clang clang clang!
Cheon Paejo stormed in like a tempest, pressing close-quarters combat.
Their blades clashed fiercely in the air.
As exchanges mounted, Hyeok An's footing gradually yielded.
Though a clan leader himself, he fell short of Cheon Paejo.
'Damn...!'
Shadow darkened Hyeok An's face as power faltered.
Seizing momentum, Cheon Paejo struck decisively.
Nine arcing slashes bore down on Hyeok An's torso like a whirlwind.
Mountain-Breaking Nine Ring Sword, his signature technique.
Hyeok An scrambled to defend, but couldn't block all.
Like a tiger's bite to the flank, a circular slash carved from ribs to pelvis.
"Hngh!"
Hyeok An twisted grotesquely, barely evading with a grunt.
By sheer luck.
A hair's breadth from being bisected, he took only a torn robe and shallow gash.
But the violent dodge dropped him to his knees—right onto cold steel at his throat.
Raising his head slowly, Hyeok An glared at Cheon Paejo.
The man loomed, blade pressed, voice icy.
"Turn back now. I'll spare your life."
"You..."
As Hyeok An glared fiercely, Cheon Paejo shook his head.
"Stubborn to the end. You don't know your grave."
Bloodlust gleamed in Cheon Paejo's eyes.
"If that's your wish, so be it."
He raised his sword high for a diagonal cleave.
Then,
A woman's voice halted him.
"Hold!"
"......"
Cheon Paejo's gaze snapped to the source.
Yagul Okryeon, pleasure quarter overseer and tower proprietress, approached, arms spread to block him.
He glared coldly down at her.
"Out of my way."
"I can't."
"You want death too?"
Flinch.
Shuddering under his killing intent, she drew a deep breath and met his eyes squarely.
"Since when did the Cheon Clan, pillar of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, become so shameless?"
"Mind your words."
Cheon Paejo gripped his sword tighter, but she pressed on.
"This is the inner castle, the cult's heart. Disrupting order here and sparking chaos—do you think you'll escape unscathed?"
His aura choked her, yet she continued.
"When the Cult Leader returns, the Cheon Clan will pay dearly."
"...The Cult Leader."
Cheon Paejo nodded slowly.
"The one from the rumors, eh."
"......"
"But what of it? Your ironclad savior hasn't shown his face in half a year, secluded in retreat—despite your clan's all-out assaults."
Cheon Paejo had heard whispers of the Cult Leader's changes too.
His rumored exploits were earth-shaking.
But he dismissed them.
'No way he's that formidable.'
He had seen Hyeok Mulin upon his ascension as patriarch—with his own eyes.
Impressive for his youth, but not rumor-worthy.
Sneering disdainfully, Cheon Paejo addressed her.
"Watching false hopes shatter could be entertaining... You, what are you staring—"
He cut off mid-sentence.
Her gaze wasn't on him, but past his shoulder.
And not just her.
Wounded Hyeok An, strewn warriors, even gawking commoners—all stared breathlessly behind him.
"...?"
Puzzled by the uniformity, Cheon Paejo frowned and turned slowly.
His breath caught.
One man.
Approaching from across the street, exuding majestic presence.
Step. Step.
Hyeok Mulin halted before him.
And parted his lips toward Cheon Paejo.
"Kneel."